Adventure #1: Bear Lake, Colorado (near Cuchara, CO)

Did you know...

there is no oxygen at 10,000 feet? Okay, there’s some, but not much for a fat gal like me. I know, I know, I’m not fat, I’m fluffy. But simply walking down to the community toilet causes me to have to sit down back at camp and catch my breath. Whew! 

Still, it’s gorgeous up here in Bear Lake. We have a creek right next to our site that makes a constant white noise (I love that) and pines stand majestically over our heads, while aspens flitter with the breeze just across the way. It’s gorgeous! Did I mention that?

And yet, I had a moment of sadness as I walked the road encircling this camp ground when I first heard, and then saw, the aspens flitter. Their leaves twinkle as they twirl on their delicate branches, because of a light breeze shoving its way through the foliage. I looked up in surprise and wonder, and then my heart broke. LeeAnn would never hear this. And I’m not too sure she could see it either. I’m sure she can see the green scape, of course, and know it is a stand of trees, but can she see the delicate way each leaf dances in its place on the limbs? I really don’t think so.

That saddens me.

But it is how it is for LeeAnn. There are many things in life she will never know. She’ll never know that thrilling sensation when the man she loves passionately whispers her name. The joy that fills a woman’s heart when she realize she is carrying a child. The awe that takes your breath when you look out across the landscape and see God’s handy work in sculpting the earth. These things will never be part of LeeAnn’s life.

And yet, she is happy. There are aspects of this experience she will never…well, never experience. She swats the bugs, but is not terribly bothered by them. She told me she slept great and woke up happy every morning we have been here. She watched with excitement as a thunderstorm rolled in today. She signed about the clouds moving and the rain coming. When it began to rain, she laughed and moved into the camper to continue reading on her Kindle. When the thunder cracked over our heads, she made her happy sounds, “Mum, mum, mum, mum,” waking me from my rain-induced nap.

When we first got here, she told me the trees smell good. I agree. I love the smell of a forest! She giggled last night as she knelt down by the open pit fire and held her hot-dog skewer in the flames.

She didn’t even mind yesterday morning when we woke up and quickly ate breakfast so we could go into Trinidad to have the truck fixed.

Paul and LeeAnn in Service Waiting Room

Oh I didn’t tell you about that? The minute we arrived here at Bear Lake, the transmission cable slipped out of place and we were stuck in neutral! We were not parked yet. I started praying and praying. My husband slid under the truck, in the sandy-mucky-mud and did his best to clean off the cable, enough so that the truck went into Park, Neutral and Drive. It was enough to maneuver the camper into a camp site and disconnect the truck. The next morning we drove the truck on a wing and many prayers into Trinidad, Cookes Dealership! Bless those people. They had it fixed in two hours. We ate lunch at Wendy’s and returned to camp.

LeeAnn took this all in stride. She signed, Truck broke. Men fixed. I told her, “yes.” Did she have any idea how big of a deal that could have been? We’ll probably never know.

Maybe it’s not so bad for her not to experience everything we experience. Those were some anxious moments, for my husband and me.